(BROOKFIELD, WIS., Jan. 8, 2020) Lessiter Media Inc., Brookfield, Wis., publisher of Rural Lifestyle Dealer, and various other print, digital and live events, has acquired Cover Crop Innovators from longtime farmer and consultant Steve Groff, Holtwood, Pa. The announcement was made January 8 in front of attendees at the 28th Annual National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis, Mo.

The acquired property will be part of Lessiter Media’s Cover Crop Strategies division, which the Wisconsin firm launched as a digital property in 2019 and was immediately followed by a successful National Cover Crop Summit.

Cover crops continues to be a fast-growing trend in agriculture. A total of 15.3 million acres were seeded with cover crops in 2017, an increase of 49% from 2012. According to the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) data, current annual growth rates alone would result in 23 million acres of cover crops by the next census in 2022, and 40.5 million acres within a decade.

Groff is an award-winning no-till farmer and a longtime contributor to Lessiter Media properties, including No-Till Farmer, the National No-Tillage Conference and Cover Crop Strategies. He will remain in a transitionary consultative role as he expands his newly created “Hemp Innovators” services, an area of wide interest in which he has developed an early expertise.

Cover Crop Innovators members attend special focus group session held by Lessiter Media at 2020 National No-Tillage Conference.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to assist farmers with cover crop knowledge through the next phase of our partnership that we unveiled at the 2019 National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis,” says Mike Lessiter, president, Lessiter Media. “Through this agreement, we will continue to share Steve’s actionable strategies on cover crops to a qualified audience hungry for this information, best practices and knowledge on the fast-moving cover cropping practice.”

In addition to the acquisition announcement, Lessiter Media announces the next phase of its resources within the Cover Crop arena with the 2nd Annual National Cover Crop Summit, to be held March 18-19, 2020. Using the latest in on-demand broadcasting technology, the event features knowledge-building presentations taught by the foremost authorities on cover crops, and with timely Q&A. Requiring no travel expense nor time away, farmers and other agribusinesses may participate through a series of online presentation videos delivering practical tips and information on managing cover crops to improve soil health, protect the environment and enhance on-farm profitability. For more, visit CoverCropStrategies.com/Summit.

About Lessiter Media
Lessiter Media Inc., Brookfield, Wis., was founded in 1981 by Frank and Pam Lessiter and remains family owned and operated. The firm provides niche content magazines, newsletters, websites, international conferences, books, management reports and custom media/research for the agricultural industry. Lessiter Media’s brand portfolio includes No-Till Farmer, Farm Equipment, Cover Crop Strategies, Strip-Till Farmer, Precision Farming Dealer, Farm Innovations, Rural Lifestyle Dealer, American Farriers Journal and Ag Equipment Intelligence. For more information, visit LessiterMedia.com.